Elvis Presley, RIP: A Top 30 Of Kitschy Crap On His Death Day [GALLERY]

Steven Attanasie

Anyone who was alive on August 16, 1977 can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news that shook the entertainment industry to its core. Elvis Aaron Presley, the King of Rock & Roll, was dead at the age of 42.

It’s almost impossible to overstate the influence on pop culture and music that Elvis had during his short time on this earth. While he certainly didn’t invent rock & roll, he popularized it and made it palatable to middle America. Though it’s easy to remember all of the excess, the drugs, the guns, the bad movies, it’s harder to forget the way he revolutionized music with #1 hit after #1 hit.

That he continues to endure today, both musically and spiritually, is a testament to just how big he was in his prime. All of the impersonators, memorabilia hounds, and the legions of fans who continue to insist he’s still alive would be nowhere were it not for his enormous talent, larger than life personality, and good ol’ fashioned Southern charm.

Elvis packed an awful lot of living into his 42 years, which is why he’ll continue to live on long after we’re all gone. Death may have taken him from us, but it most assuredly made him immortal–and here’s a look at 30 things that you can help remember Elvis by, thanks to the miracle of marketing…